INTERVJU / INTERVIEW
It could be claimed that you and Bill are responsible for discovering Tonatiuh, who plays one of the main roles. How did the casting choices unfold? - This is a story of two people who are op- posites. They are so different, but forced to share the same space. Finding human- ity and love between people who’d or- dinarily never find themselves in the same circles is a beautiful thing. It’s be- cause of all this that I think this movie is more relevant now than ever before. Like much earlier in my life, when I watched Rita Moreno in West Side Story, it meant a lot to me to see a Puerto Rican woman on the big screen and to feel, to a certain extent, that we, as a minority, were seen and represented on film. I realised that I could do things in my life that no one in my family had had the opportunity to do. Bill also insisted that the entire cast be composed of Latin American actors. You are also credited among the producers. What did all your work include on this project? - Honestly, everything all at once, though I didn’t initiate the project, as Bill sent the script to me and my fellow produc- er. I was told that Bill wanted me specif- ically for this role. I helped work on the script, casting, finding financing. I also participated in the editing, spending a lot of time with the editors. And in the end, I also participated in the movie’s market- ing campaign. Watching this movie reminded us of all your talents, as we see you act, sing and dance... Do you find the energy for all that? - I love all that, I love my job. And, honestly, I’m happy to have the oppor- tunity to do what I desire. I’ve always strived to find a good balance between all of that. I’m always working on one project after another and I enjoy it, de- spite rarely having time off. And now, as we speak, I’m already working with Rob- ert Zemeckis on my next film. Likewise, I released an album before we started shooting for Kiss of the Spider Woman and I still toured this summer... I’m not capable of stopping. Oh, and I almost forgot, next year I have another mov- ie that I'm really looking forward to: Of- fice Romance.
You’re in great shape and you’re touring and making movies, and it doesn’t seem like you’re going to stop anytime soon. What's the secret to that energy? Nutrition and training? - I think I’ve changed a lot in recent years. There are things that I used to like that I don’t anymore, and vice ver- sa. If you’re asking me how I eat these days, I mostly eat fish and seafood. Very little carbohydrates. My nutri- tionist is actually making me eat carbo- hydrates as much as possible, because I lost a lot of weight on tour. I’m in- creasingly doing more strength train- ing, with weightlifting, and almost no cardio. You say that you’ve changed. What are the benefits of your current stage in life? - I consider ageing to be a natural pro- cess and that everything related to it is more or less okay. I feel like this is the best period of my life. I think I’m more intelligent, wiser and more self-aware. I’m much calmer and happier. And I’m very grateful for everything I have. I don’t feel pressure like I did previous- ly, or that I’m not good enough, and I don’t think about things that used to burden me day and night for (I now re- alise) no real reason. We’ve been following your work for almost 30 years and have noticed, as you say yourself, that there was always talk about you not being enough – just a dancer, with a lack
of respect for you. It seems to me that you were unfairly underrated. How much does it mean to you that you are finally being taken more seriously today, among both audiences and critics? - I never allowed that to get me down or discourage me, slow me down. I’ve appreciated whatever I’ve done throughout all these years, and tried to give my all as an artist. As I’ve matured, I’ve realised that I had two choices: to get annoyed over what I’ve missed out on, which I can no longer influence; or to focus on doing the best I can on the projects that come next. It means a lot to me when directors like Bill Condon or Robert Zemeckis send me scripts at this stage of my career and say “We want you in this movie”. How much does it mean to you that we are seeing the increasing representation of Latino women in movies? Those are the kinds of roles that you mostly didn't get? - In life and in show business, it’s sim- ply the case that you don't always get everything you want, including the op- portunities that many around you get. But, of course, I still sometimes get an- noyed when I think “Hey, how didn’t I know about this movie before”. That sometimes frustrates me, like a missed opportunity. It took a lot of effort for me to get to where I am, and I hope many more young Latino actors and ac- tresses will have opportunities that I didn’t have in my 20s – because things are finally different today.
42 | Holivud » Hollywood
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